Measuring in a mobile communications terminal

ABSTRACT

A User Equipment having at least one sensor, a short range communications interface, a long range communications interface and a controller, wherein the controller is configured for: establishing a connection with a first access point through the short range communications interface; receiving operating instructions for the at least one sensor from the first access point; causing the at least one sensor to operate according to the operating instructions; receiving sensor data from the at least one sensor; and for reporting the sensor data through the long range communications interface.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to a method, a general sensor and acomputer-readable storage medium for improved sensor operation, and inparticular to a method, a general sensor and a computer-readable storagemedium for improved sensor operation and receiving sensor instructionsand reporting sensor data over radio frequency networks.

BACKGROUND

The concept of pre-configured or purpose built sensor devices arecommon. Also pre-configuration of smartphone sensors in applications isseen today. One example of how such a configuration is performed bydownloading an application to a smartphone that is thus configured toregister bumps in the road by usage of the accelerometer (for bumpdetection) and the GPS for geo-location. The sensor data is thenreported to road maintainers. This is an example of a pre-configuredsensor device, that is configured out-of-context, e.g. duringapplication install at home. Another example of out-of-contextconfiguration is triggering pre-defined events when a knownwireless/cellular network is within range or a pre-defined geo-locationarea is reached. The events and the corresponding operation arepredefined and only the detection of the event triggers the execution,but the operation is, as such, defined out-of-context.

The main problem is that a general sensor device can be used for manydifferent purposes and out-of-context instructions will be huge if theyshould cover all possible contexts. Furthermore, it is not possible tohandle new contexts without bringing the device in for an out-of-contextupdate. Another problem is time varying context awareness which isimpossible to support through an out-of-context configuration.

For example, assume a general sensor included in a container that needsto be kept cold and being transported by a truck, say. Duringtransportation it might be important to keep track of the goods (GPS) aswell as keep track on the temperature with regular intervals. On theother side, once the device comes to a warehouse there is no need forGPS reporting (not so often at least) and it may be a place where thetemperature is under control so there might not be a need to performtemperature measurements too often.

In prior art solutions a general sensor may be configured to report aposition and a temperature every minute, what so ever circumstances,draining battery for the sensor. While, in practice, it may suffice witha reporting every hour or so once the sensor is in a warehouse. Thegeneral sensor according to the prior art solutions would thus draw anunnecessary amount of power, both for sensing and for reporting themeasurements.

Furthermore, the reporting itself may imply costs (roaming etc), andtherefore the reporting may incur higher operating costs than actuallyneeded.

Therefore, there is a need for method and apparatus for remoteinstruction of general sensor device for specific actions requested in aspecific context.

SUMMARY

It is a further object of the teachings of this application to overcomethe problems listed above by providing a general sensor comprising atleast one sensor, a short range communications interface, a long rangecommunications interface and a controller, wherein said controller isconfigured for: detecting a first access point through said short rangecommunications interface; receiving operating instructions for said atleast one sensor from said first access point; causing said at least onesensor to operate according to said operating instructions; receivingsensor data from said at least one sensor, and for reporting said sensordata through said long range communications interface. This enables foran in-context configuration of a general sensor.

In one embodiment the general sensor further configured for: detecting asecond access point through said short range communications interface;receiving operating instructions for said at least one sensor from saidsecond access point; and determining whether at least one of said atleast one sensors should operate according to said operatinginstructions, and, if so, causing said least one of said at least onesensor to operate according to said operating instructions.

This enables for a context specific configuration of a general sensor,where configuration and data reporting is performed at no cots for theinstruction provider, i.e. the user who configures the general sensor.

In one embodiment the general sensor is incorporated in a mobilecommunications terminal.

It is a further object of the teachings of this application to overcomethe problems listed above by providing a method for use in a generalsensor comprising at least one sensor, a short range communicationsinterface, a long range communications interface, said methodcomprising: detecting a first access point through said short rangecommunications interface; receiving operating instructions for said atleast one sensor from said first access point; causing said at least onesensor to operate according to said operating instructions; receivingsensor data from said at least one sensor; and for reporting said sensordata through said long range communications interface.

It is a further object of the teachings of this application to overcomethe problems listed above by providing a computer readable mediumcomprising instructions that when loaded into and executed by acontroller, such as a processor, cause the execution of a methodaccording to herein.

The inventors of the present application have realized, after inventiveand insightful reasoning, that by enabling a general sensor comprisingat least one sensor 130 to receive operating instructions via a shortrange communication network it is possible to provide the general sensorwith operating instructions that are context specific and without anycost to the instructions provider. Especially when providing complicatedcontrol scripts the data traffic needed to transmit the necessary codesegments may be non-negligent. The installment of an access point doesrequire some fees, but the initial install fee is low compared to therunning fees of a cellular subscription. The investment of installing,for example, a WiFi access point usually equals one month of a cellularsubscription.

The use of short range communication interfaces also ensures a moresecure connection as such connections are easier to control and maintainas they fall under the control of the instructions provider. Theconnection quality is also easier to control and provides for a morereliable connection. Should an access point not be able to provideadequate signal quality through its coverage area, the access point maybe moved to increase the signal quality (such as passed a thick wall).Such modifications are much more difficult to accomplish when relying oncellular networks, especially when the cellular service is provided by aservice provider that might be unwilling to install a new base stationat every location. It is also possible to provide a more specificposition locality for providing an accurate space locality context asthe access point defines the context-specific location.

The inventors of the present application have furthermore realized,after inventive and insightful reasoning, that by enabling the generalsensor to report the data via a cellular network through the cellularcommunication interface of the general sensor, the data may be reportedwithout incurring any costs to the operating instructions provider. Thisenables a context specific configuration of a general sensor at no costto the provider of operating instructions. Should the operatinginstructions provider be required to bare the cost of data reporting itcould lead to more complicated business deals having to be made, andalso unwillingness to implement a local access point for providingoperating instructions.

Other features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will appearfrom the attached detailed disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in further detail under reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the general structure of a generalsensor according to one embodiment of the teachings of this application;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a network comprising a general sensoraccording to one embodiment of the teachings of this application;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the operation of a general sensoraccording to one embodiment of the teachings of this application;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a computer-readable medium according toone embodiment of the teachings of this application;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a mobile communications terminalincorporating a general sensor according to an embodiment of theteachings of this application; and

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart for a general method according to anembodiment of the teachings of this application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certainembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of a general sensor adapted accordingto the teachings herein. In the embodiment shown the general sensor 100is a device having at least one sensor 130 and a long rangecommunications interface, such as a cellular radio communicationsinterface 140. Such a general sensor 100 may be referred to as a UserEquipment (UE). In one embodiment the general sensor is comprised in amobile communications terminal 500, see FIG. 5 and corresponding sectionbelow for further details.

Examples of sensors include, but are not limited, to: accelerometer,gyroscope, GPS devices, humidity sensors, temperature sensors, barometersensors, altitude sensors, magnetic sensors, time sensors, pressuresensors, weight sensors, sound-level sensors, microphone sensors, visualsensors, camera, video-camera, IR-camera, UV-cameras.

For deployment in (remote) areas where cellular coverage is notpossible, the long range communication interface may be asatellite-based communication interface.

The general sensor 100 further comprises controller 110, such as aprocessor for example one or more central processing units (CPUs) orother digital signal processing unit. The controller 110 is operativelyconnected to a memory, for retrieving instructions from and for storingdata on, and to the at least one sensor(s) 130 for controlling theoperation of the sensor(s) 130. In one embodiment the controlleractively controls the operation of a sensor 130. In one embodiment thecontroller causes the sensor(s) 130 to operate in a manner as specifiedby the instructions.

The general sensor 100 comprises the cellular interface 140, being forlong range communication, and a short range radio frequency interface150. The short range interface 150 may be implemented according to oneor a combination of at least one of the standards IEEE 802.11 (WiFi),IEEE 802.14.5 (ZigBee for example), Bluetooth®, NFC (Near FieldCommunication) or other short range (radio frequency) communicationinterface, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and Sigfox. The longrange cellular communications interface 140 may be arranged tocommunicate according to one or a combination of the standards UniversalMobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE),High Speed Packet Access, HSPA, or Global System for Mobilecommunication, GSM. It should be noted that the teachings herein mayalso be implemented using other cellular communications standards. Thegeneral sensor 100 also comprises at least one antenna 160 which may beexternal or internal.

The general sensor 100 also comprises a memory 120. The memory 120 maybe implemented using any commonly known technology for computer-readablememories such as ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM, FLASH, DDR, EEPROM memory, flashmemory, hard drive, optical storage or any combination thereof. Thememory 120 is used for various purposes by the controller 110, one ofthem being for storing sensor data and operating instructions for thesensor(s) 130.

The general sensor or UE 100 may optionally comprise a user interface170 which may comprise a display, a number of light indicators, possiblyimplemented as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and at least one key. Oneexample of a user interface is described with reference to FIG. 5 whichshows a mobile communications terminal 500 comprising a general sensor100.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a network in which the general sensorarranged in a general sensor 100 is arranged to be used. The operationof a general sensor will be described below with simultaneous referenceto FIG. 2 and to FIG. 3 which shows a schematic overview of thefunctionality of a general sensor 100.

The general sensor 100 is arranged to detect that a short rangecommunication access point AP1, such as a WiFi access point, is withinrange for the short range communication interface 150. The range of anaccess point AP is indicated by the dashed circles in FIG. 2. If thegeneral sensor 100 is in range of the access point AP1, the generalsensor 100 is configured to establish a connection with the access pointAP1 for receiving operating instructions for the at least one sensor(s)130. In FIG. 2, the instructions are referenced INSTRUCTIONS [Si, Oi]indicating that a set of instructions may be received comprisingseparate operating instructions (Oi) for each sensor (Si). The operatinginstructions may be specific to an individual sensor 130, a sub set ofthe sensors 130 or all sensors 130.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the general sensor operates the at least onesensor 130 according to the received operating instructions [Si, Oi]which has been received from the access point AP. The operatinginstructions are executed for each associated sensor 130. In the exampleof FIG. 3, the operating instructions O1 for sensor Si is provided tosensor S1, the operating instructions O2 for sensor S2 is provided tosensor S2 and the operating instructions ON for sensor SN is provided tosensor SN. The operating instructions may be provided to a sensor by thecontroller executing the operating instructions thereby controlling thecorresponding sensor(s).

Each sensor 130:Si which is activated and controlled by operatinginstructions Oi generates sensor data Di.

The sensor data may or may not be further processed by the controller110 before being forwarded to a server or other data receiver through acellular communications network via a cellular node 210 through thecellular communication interface 140 for collection and/or (further)processing of the sensor data. Such further processing by the controllermay be to transform a sensor reading into a meaningful quantity, such astransforming electrical sensor readings into a corresponding physicalvalue (for example, voltage reading to temperature). The processing mayalso be more complicated and involve transforming a sensor reading intoa derivative.

In FIG. 2 one cellular node 210, such as a base station, is shown, butit should be noted that the cellular node 210 represents a cellularnetwork which consists of several cellular nodes as would be known to askilled person. Depending on the location of the general sensor 100different cellular nodes 210 may be communicated with. Also, dependingon the radio access technology to be used to transmit the sensor data,different cellular nodes 210 may also be used.

In one embodiment the operating instructions may be updated regularly orbased on environmental conditions, changes in such conditions or throughother programming. The update may be initiated by the access pointpushing new operating instructions to the general sensor. The update mayalso be initiated by the general sensor 100 prompting or polling theaccess point for updated operating instructions.

The operating instructions may be provided as a command script, such asa java script, an XML script or other script language or other computerprogram language, possibly a native machine code. This enables for acomplicated and advanced control of the sensor(s). The instructions mayalso be provided as commands according to an AP1 (ApplicationProgramming Interface) possibly as a text file that is parsed forextracting the different commands.

The instructions may also be provided as a simple array indication forexample specifying a time interval for each sensor indicating how oftenthe corresponding sensor should be read. An example of such an array is[S1, 100, S2, −1; SN, 0] indicating that Sensor S1 should be read every100 ms, sensor S2 should remain inactive and sensor SN to be readcontinuously.

This enables for a simple communication protocol to be establishedbetween the general sensor 100 and the operating instructions providingaccess point.

In one embodiment the controller may be configured to transmit sensordata to the access point and in return receive updated operatinginstructions. This enables the operating instructions to be adapted tocurrent environmental factors and/or sensor readings without having totransmit complicated operating instructions to the general sensor 100.This enables for a simpler implementation in the general sensor 100.

One example to illustrate the different possibilities relates to asituation where a sensor monitors a value that is not allowed to exceeda threshold level TL. Using a complicated script, such as a Java script,the pseudo code below could be implemented in a script and executed bythe controller 110.

t := 0 // t: time counter T := 500 // T: the time between readings //TL: Threshold level //WL: Warning level close to threshold levelData_value = Read_sensor(Si); while Data_value < TL do{ while t <= T dot := t+1; Data_value = Read_sensor(Si); if Data_value >= WL then T :=100 else T := 500; } Report_Alarm(Data_Value);

This script enables the sensor to be read at fixed intervals as long asthe sensor value is well below the threshold level, and as the sensorvalue approaches the threshold value (that is when it exceeds a warninglevel), the sensor value is read more frequently. Should the thresholdvalue be exceeded, the data is reported in an alarm.

Using a less complicated instruction format the same function can beimplemented by the following instructions sequence:

Oi is received by the controller 110, Oi=[Si, Ti, Vi], where i denoteswhich sensor, Ti denotes the time intervals and Vi indicates a valuelevel to report.

Vi is reached and this is reported to the access point AP1 whichprovides new instructions Oi=[Si, Tj, Vj] where Tj<Ti (indicating a morefrequent reading) and Vj>Vi (indicating a more severe level).

Using an even simpler instruction format the same functionality may beimplemented through the following instructions sequence:

Oi is received by the controller 110, Oi=[Si, Ti], where i denotes whichsensor, Ti denotes the time intervals. For each sensor reading the readvalue is reported through the cellular network. As a sensor valuereaches the warning level, the cellular network may either respond tothe general sensor 100 to change the time intervals betweenmeasurements, or instruct the access point to provide such updatedoperating instructions to the general sensor 100.

As the general sensor 100 carrying the at least one sensor 130 moves outof range of the first access point AP1 it will no longer be able toreceive operating instructions from the first access point AP1.

In one embodiment, the controller may then be configured to continue tocontrol the at least one sensors 130 to operate as per the last receivedoperating instructions received from the access point that theconnection to has just been lost. The controller 110 may be configuredto continue such operation for a specific time period. The time periodmay have been provided as part of the operating instructions from theaccess point or may have been provided by a data collector serverthrough the cellular network. The time period may also be specified inthe general sensor 100 by being pre-stored in the memory 120. Thisensures continued operation even if the access point is unable tofunction or being blocked.

In one embodiment, the controller may alternatively be configured toresume control of the at least one sensors 130 to operate as perstandard operating instructions possibly pre-stored in the memory 120 ofthe general sensor 100. This enables the general sensor 100 to operatein a general manner unless more specific operating instructions exist,where the condition is based on an availability of the access point, forexample through a geographical locality, wherein the context couldcontain a space locality.

In one embodiment, the controller may alternatively be configured toresume control of the at least one sensors 130 to operate as peroperating instructions previously active, before a connection to theaccess point was established. This enables the general sensor 100 tooperate according to different context specific instructions, whichinstructions are prioritized based on the availability of thecorresponding access point, for example through the geographicallocation of the access point.

In one embodiment, the controller may alternatively be configured toreport that the connection with the access point has been lost throughthe cellular node 210 and receive new operating instructionsaccordingly.

In one embodiment, the controller may alternatively be configured tocontrol the at least one sensors 130 to remain inactive as long as nonew operating instructions are received or, alternatively oradditionally, the controller may refrain from reporting any datareadings. In one embodiment the controller 110 may refrain fromreporting any data readings after a time period has passed from when theconnection was lost.

The general sensor 100 is, in one embodiment, configured to continuouslyscan for other access points. In one embodiment the general sensor 100,is configured to periodically scan for other access points. Returning tothe example network of FIG. 2, the general sensor 100 travels from thefirst access point AP1 towards a second access pint AP2, as indicated bythe dashed arrow. As the general sensor 100 leaves the coverage area 220of the first access point AP1 it may configure its control of the atleast one sensor 130 in a manner according to above and continue to orstart to scan for other access points. As the general sensor 100 entersthe coverage area 225 for the second access point AP2, a connection isestablished between the general sensor 100 and the second access pointAP2 through the short range communication interface 150. The secondaccess point AP2 may then provide the general sensor 100 with its ownset of operating instructions [Sj, Oj] specific to the second accesspoint AP2. The controller stores the received operating instructions inthe memory 120 and controls the operation of the at least one sensor 130accordingly in a manner similar to as was described in the above.

The general sensor 100 continues to report the sensor data (or derivatesof the sensor data) through the same cellular network. Possibly, thedata is reported through an alternative cellular network depending onspecific instructions and/or specific data formats. To illustrate with avery simple example, a text file comprising simple sensor data, such asa temperature reading, may be reported in a text message through a GSMnetwork, whereas a more complicated sensor reading, such as an infraredcamera image to be analyzed, may be reported in a multimedia messagethrough a UMTS network. In this application it will be assumed that alldata reporting is performed through the same cellular network even if askilled person would realize that variations may be possible.

In some situations the coverage areas of two access points may overlapone another and the controller may then receive operating instructionsfrom two different access points simultaneously.

In one embodiment, the controller 110 is configured to control the atleast one sensor 130 according to the last received operatinginstructions. This enables a last-to-connect-rule to prioritize thesensor control, where the last access point to be connected to specifiesthe operation of the sensors. This assumes that the last access point toconnect to carries the most relative operating instructions being themost recently encountered access point.

In one embodiment, the controller 110 is configured to control the atleast one sensor 130 according to the first received operatinginstructions. This enables a first-to-connect-rule to prioritize thesensor control, where the first access point to be connected to specifythe operation of the sensors. This assumes that the first access pointto connect to carries the most relative operating instructions while thecorresponding access point is still in range.

In one embodiment, the controller 110 is configured to control the atleast one sensor 130 according to a priority scheme, where each accesspoint is provided with a priority level and the controller determineswhich set of operating instructions to be used based on the priority ofthe corresponding access point. The priorities may be given for thecomplete set of operating instructions or be individually specified foreach sensor. The operating instructions would then be received in theform [Si, Oi, Pi] indicating the operating instructions Oi havingpriority Pi for sensor Si.

In one embodiment the controller 110 is configured to run both sets ofoperating instructions in parallel. In one such embodiment thecontroller 110 is configured to coordinate the operating instructions.Such coordination may be achieved by finding a smallest common timeinterval. To illustrate with an example, if a first set of instructionsO1=[Si, 100] is received from a first access point and a second set ofinstructions O2=[Si, 500] is received from a second access point, itsuffices to run the relevant sensor Si according to the operatinginstructions O1 from the first access point as this will also satisfythe requirements behind the second set of operating instructions O2.Running the two instructions in parallel would provide the same result,with a possible double reading at time instances 500.

In one embodiment the operating instructions may be arranged to indicatethat they should be run irrespective of previously received operatinginstructions. This enables for a provider of operating instructions toensure that operating instructions specific to a special context isindeed executed. This is beneficial in instances where incorrect sensorreadings may be harmful to persons or to property.

This enables a configuration of a sensor to operate according to contextspecific criteria.

The operating context may be spatial, that is specific to a spatiallocality (possibly geographical, but also related to a specific companyor functional site, such as an industry plant. For example, as a generalsensor enters a specific site it may come within range of asite-specific access point and be provided with operating instructionsspecific to that site. For example, if truck carrying a liquid to bekept cold arrives at an overnight storage facility, a general sensorbelonging to the truck may be configured to more regularly sense thetemperature in the load as the risk of the temperature rising is higherwhen the truck is not moving.

The operating context may be temporal, that is specific to a temporallocality, such as a time or a season. For example, if the same truck isdriving on a summer's day, it can be assumed that the temperature ishigher than normal and the temperature sensing may be done morefrequently to ensure that any temperature change is detected in time.The time may also determine the manner or frequency of reporting thedata. For example, for payment schemes for data traffic that utilize avarying bit fee that varies with the time of day, one alternative can beto report data more frequently during those periods when the bit fee islow.

The operating context may be company specific. Different companies mayuse the same general sensors, but have specific criteria that should befollowed. This enables for company policy measurements to be implementedby a general sensor.

The operating context may be regional and relate to regionalregulations. This enables a general sensor to be adapted according toregional regulations. For example, a general sensor may be controlled tonot report data when being on an airplane by a local access pointlocated in the airport gate as any radio frequency communication wouldnot be allowed during the flight.

The operating context may be operational specific. For example, if it isdetected that a truck, such as in the examples above, is no longermoving, the temperature sensor may be configured to more measurements toensure that a temperature rise is caught in time, as a failure of acooling system increases if the truck stops unexpectantly, possibly dueto a break down.

Returning to the example in the background section of a user downloadingan application to register irregularities in a road, the sameapplication may be realized through an in-context configuration of asmartphone. As the smartphone enters a car, it establishes a connectionwith the cars Bluetooth interface. The smartphone may then be instructedto register bumps and when such are detected to report the bump alongwith current a position. As the application leaves the car, themeasurements are stopped and no false reports are reported based on anyphysical activities that the user may partake in.

Another example is for a general sensor being carried by a user, thatwhen a building is entered, the general sensor is instructed to measuretemperature and location at a certain periodicity. This data is thenreported and used to control the heating/cooling of the building wherepeople are actually located.

By enabling a general sensor comprising at least one sensor 130 toreceive operating instructions via a short range communication networkit is possible to provide the general sensor 100 with operatinginstructions that are context specific and without any cost to theinstructions provider. Especially when providing complicated controlscripts the data traffic needed to transmit the necessary code segmentsmay be non-negligent.

The use of short range communication interfaces also ensures a moresecure connection as such connections are easier to control and maintainas they fall under the control of the instruction provider. It is alsopossible to provide a more specific position locality for providing anaccurate space locality context. The position may be determined inrelation to the access point. A short range communication standardhaving a limited range, such as Bluetooth® may provide a positiondetermination within 10 m of the general sensor. Such accuracy is notpossible through cellular position determination methods.

Furthermore, using the access point for determining a locality isbeneficial in that the general sensor 100 does not have to continuouslyupdate its position and match it against a stored position. Such storedpositions would have to have been pre-stored, which is one of theproblems that the teachings herein aim to solve. Also, as the accesspoint defines the context-specific location the detection of an AP is—bydefinition—an exact location determination with regards to an accesspoint.

The use of short range access points also enable for an ad-hoc system tobe designed where changes are easy to implement, by simply adding a newaccess point. Adding an access point will not affect the rest of thenetwork or require any updates with the network, the cellular network orthe general sensor. It is thus easy for a user to implement specificsensor control.

By enabling the general sensor 100 to report the data via a cellularnetwork through the cellular communication interface 140 of the generalsensor 100, the data may be reported without incurring any costs to theoperating instructions provider. This enables a context specificconfiguration of a general sensor at no cost to the provider ofoperating instructions. Should the operating instructions provider berequired to bare the cost of data reporting it could lead to morecomplicated business deals having to be made, and also unwillingness toimplement a local access point for providing operating instructions.

Another advantage is provided in that the general sensor 100 is notrequired to continuously poll a server through the cellular network toensure that up-to-date operating instructions has been received,especially for general sensor 100 being on the move.

The manner taught herein may also be used for enabling a local oruser-specific configuration of a general sensor device, such as ageneral sensor 100 comprising at least one sensor 130. A general sensormay thus be manufactured and sold without any specific operatinginstructions and the operating instructions may be provided at theclient side when the general sensor is first taken into use. The generalsensor may then be configured exactly according to the user'srequirements without incurring any costs or risking divulging tradesecrets to the manufacturer or provider of the general sensor.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a computer-readable medium as describedin the above. The computer-readable medium 40 is in this embodiment adata disc 40. In one embodiment the data disc 40 is a magnetic datastorage disc. The data disc 40 is configured to carry instructions 41that when loaded into a controller, such as a processor, executes amethod or procedure according to the embodiments disclosed herein. Thedata disc 40 is arranged to be connected to or within and read by areading device 42, for loading the instructions into the controller. Onesuch example of a reading device 42 in combination with one (or several)data disc(s) 40 is a hard drive. It should be noted that thecomputer-readable medium can also be other mediums such as compactdiscs, digital video discs, flash memories or other memory technologiescommonly used.

The instructions 41 may also be downloaded to a computer data readingdevice 44, such as a general sensor or other device capable of readingcomputer coded data on a computer-readable medium, by comprising theinstructions 41 in a computer-readable signal 43 which is transmittedvia a wireless (or wired) interface (for example via the Internet) tothe computer data reading device 44 for loading the instructions 41 intoa controller. In such an embodiment the computer-readable signal 43 isone type of a computer-readable medium 40.

The instructions may be stored in a memory (not shown explicitly in FIG.4, but referenced 120 in FIG. 1) of the general 44 sensor, possiblycomprised in a mobile communications terminal such as a smart phone.

References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should beunderstood to encompass software for a programmable processor orfirmware such as, for example, the programmable content of a hardwaredevice whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settingsfor a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic deviceetc.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a mobilecommunications terminal 500 comprising a general sensor 100 of FIGS. 1,2 and 3. The mobile communications terminal 500 comprises at least onesensor 130, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, through the general sensor 100.The mobile communications terminal 500 further comprises a housing 510in which a display 520 is arranged. In one embodiment the display 520 isa non-touch display. In other embodiments the display 520 is a touchdisplay. Furthermore, the mobile phone 100 comprises two hard-wired keys530. In this embodiment there are two keys 530 a and 530 b, but anynumber of keys, including none, is possible and depends on the design ofthe mobile phone 100. In one embodiment the mobile phone 100 isconfigured to display and operate a virtual key 535 on the touch display520. It should be noted that the number of virtual keys 535 aredependent on the design of the mobile communications terminal 500 and anapplication that is executed on the mobile communications terminal 500.

The mobile communications terminal may share a controller and memorywith the general sensor 100 or it may be arranged with its owncontroller and memory (not shown in FIG. 5).

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a general method according to the teachingsherein. A general sensor detects a first access point through a shortrange communications interface 610. The general sensor receives 620operating instructions for at least one sensor from said first accesspoint. The general sensor further causes the at least one sensor tooperate 630 according to said operating instructions. The generalsensors receives 640 sensor data from the at least one sensor andreports 650 the sensor data through a long range communicationsinterface.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a fewembodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled inthe art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equallypossible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appendedpatent claims.

1: A general sensor comprising: at least one sensor; a short rangecommunications interface; a long range communications interface; and acontroller, wherein said controller is configured for: detecting a firstaccess point through said short range communications interface;receiving operating instructions for said at least one sensor from saidfirst access point; causing said at least one sensor to operateaccording to said operating instructions; receiving sensor data fromsaid at least one sensor; and for reporting said sensor data throughsaid long range communications interface. 2: The general sensoraccording to claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured for:detecting a second access point through said short range communicationsinterface; receiving operating instructions for said at least one sensorfrom said second access point; and determining whether at least one ofsaid at least one sensors should operate according to said operatinginstructions, and, if so, causing said least one of said at least onesensor to operate according to said operating instructions. 3: Thegeneral sensor according to claim 2, wherein said controller is furtherconfigured for determining whether to receive operating instructionsfrom said second access point based on a priority scheme for said firstaccess point and said second access point. 4: The general sensoraccording to claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured fordetecting that a connection with said first access point is notavailable through said short range communications interface and, inresponse thereto, refraining from reporting said sensor data throughsaid long range communications interface. 5: The general sensoraccording to claim 4, wherein said controller is further configured fordetermining that a threshold time since the detection that theconnection is not available has passed and then refraining fromreporting said sensor data through said long range communicationsinterface. 6: The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein saidcontroller is further configured for detecting that a connection withsaid first access point is not available through said short rangecommunications interface and, in response thereto, control the operationof said at least one sensor according to previously received operatinginstructions. 7: The general sensor according to claim 6, wherein saidpreviously received operating instructions are stored in a memorycomprised in said general sensor. 8: The general sensor according toclaim 1, wherein said controller is further configured for processingsaid sensor data before reporting said sensor data. 9: The generalsensor according to claim 1, wherein said controller is furtherconfigured for reporting sensor data to said first access point and inresponse thereto receive updated operating instructions. 10: The generalsensor according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of said operatinginstructions are specific to one of said at least one sensor. 11: Thegeneral sensor according to claim 1, wherein said operating instructionsare arranged to specify that at least one of said at least one sensor isto remain inactive. 12: The general sensor according to claim 1, whereinsaid operating instructions are based on an operating context, whereinsaid operating context is taken from a group comprising spatiallocality, temporal locality, company policy, regional regulations, andseasonal aspects. 13: The general sensor according to claim 1, whereinsaid long range communications interface is a cellular communicationsinterface. 14: The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein saidshort range communications interface is arranged to operate according toa standard taken from a group of standards comprising: Bluetooth®, NearField Communication (NFC), a WLAN-associated technology standard, RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) or Sigfox. 15: A Mobile communicationsterminal comprising the general sensor according to claim
 1. 16: Themobile communications terminal according to claim 15, wherein saidmobile communications terminal is a mobile telephone or an internettablet. 17: A method for use in a general sensor comprising at least onesensor, a short range communications interface, a long rangecommunications interface, said method comprising: detecting a firstaccess point through said short range communications interface;receiving operating instructions for said at least one sensor from saidfirst access point; causing said at least one sensor to operateaccording to said operating instructions; receiving sensor data fromsaid at least one sensor; and reporting said sensor data through saidlong range communications interface. 18: A nontransitory computerreadable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when loaded andexecuted on a processor, causes the processor to perform a method foruse in a general sensor comprising at least one sensor, a short rangecommunications interface, and a long range communications interface,said method comprising: detecting a first access point through saidshort range communications interface; receiving operating instructionsfor said at least one sensor from said first access point; causing saidat least one sensor to operate according to said operating instructions;receiving sensor data from said at least one sensor; and reporting saidsensor data through said long range communications interface.